


Wait for me. I'll find you.

by Gastada



Category: EXO
Genre: Character Death, M/M, Non-Graphic Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-03
Updated: 2019-10-03
Packaged: 2020-10-04 14:57:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 22,711
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20472932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gastada/pseuds/Gastada
Summary: They lived. They loved. They died.As thanks for saving their world they were promised a life together, but dark, evil forces conspired to keep them apart.But they cannot be kept apart forever.In this story Jong Dae and Yixing have to find and lose each other several times until they can finally be together.





	1. First Life

**Author's Note:**

> This work was written for the Xingdae Fic Fest (Round 1) organized by Xingdae Cafe. This is for Prompt #1036. 
> 
> I'm sorry for taking so long to complete this. I know it may not be what my prompter was looking for in a fic, but I hope they like it nonetheless. 
> 
> Thank you to everyone who reads this.
> 
> P.S. It's mature but no sexy times.

At the entrance of the Mad Isles sits the capital city of Miseria. What was once a bustling metropolis its shine has diminished, and it has fallen into despair. Now it’s quiet during the day and deadly silent at night. Even the animals have given up their songs, realizing that this land is cursed.

Su Ho, the heir to the Mad Isles, stands in the middle of the Palace’s Throne Room, one of the few places in the Mad Isles that still holds some of the shine from its heydays. This afternoon the Goddess had spoken through the Oracle and announced that she would be visiting him. He had frozen in panic; meanwhile, his attendants had flown into a frenzy beginning the preparations for the visit.

Which meant that he was forced to wear his silk robes. Usually, the Prince would dress modestly, in muted cotton robes, as he did not feel comfortable wearing the silk robes while his people dressed so shabbily. He only wore them when visiting the temple or when he would be in the presence of the Goddess.

Both of which he tried to do as little as possible. He had never liked or felt comfortable being in the presence of the Goddess. He knew that he should feel reverence towards her but the only feeling he held for her was fear. He didn’t think she minded though.

A series of knocks pulls the Prince from his thoughts. He had told his attendants to signal him when the Oracle was getting near. He stands up straight, takes in a deep breath, and mentally steels himself for what is to come. The door to the Throne Room opens and the Oracle makes his way to the Throne. As always, the Oracle is dressed in a silk dress in the Goddesses' colors with a black shawl covering his face.

The Oracle is a young man; tall and skinny, with broad shoulders and a well-sculpted face whose features fill with disdain whenever the Goddess is present. Su Ho's eyes follow The Oracle as he makes his way to the Throne. His feet are silent on the wooden floors. He's almost ghost-like in the way he moves. He takes his place upon the throne and now the two wait for the Goddess to arrive.

Without warning The Oracle slumps down and his breathing stops. The first time Prince Su Ho saw it happen he had been scared stiff even though he knew it was all part and parcel. For the Goddess of the Mad Isles to come into their realm, the Oracle must “die”. Once that happens the Goddess can inhabit their body for some time. But it’s strenuous work and results with a significant chunk of their lives lost. As such their lives end quickly. It’s an unsettling notion that leaves him worried that the Oracle will one day never wake again.

Once his chest rises again, Su Ho can breathe easy. He steels his face once more to deal with the Goddess. His, her, body rises into a form that commands attention, radiates power and danger from her.

Prince Su Ho bows deeply. “Goddess, it is an honor to be in your presence once more. I thank you for your benevolence and seek to continue serving you humbly and loyally.”

The Oracle, the Goddess, waves her hand having heard the proclamation dozens of times before from Su Ho and hundreds of other Princes and Princesses.

“I have a plan to make our Islands grand once more. And to finally bring down my sisters and leave me as the sole ruler of these lands,” the Goddess says leaving Prince Su Ho speechless.

“The King of The Archipelago of Fire is betrothed to the Princess of The Celestial Vales. It is a match that in the future will create great wealth and power for the Archipelago. They will be blessed by my sister the Goddess of the Celestial Vales with her protection. The Archipelago will know no hunger, no pain, no strife. While we continue to decay.

“In a week you are to set sail for the Celestial Vales to attend the wedding. All in goodwill; or so they’ll think. Along with you will be the Oracle so that I may be there to set the plan into motion. They must not know who he truly is. You will pass him off as your consort. Two of my devotees will accompany us to serve me when I need them. Once we have reached the Celestial Vales, and King Yixing has arrived, I will set my plan into motion.”

“Pardon me, Goddess, but what exactly is your plan,” Su Ho asks. 

“We are going to prevent the wedding from taking place.”

“But you said that it would benefit both Kingdoms, most of all the Archipelago why would they stop it,” Su Ho asks.

“Because I’m going to make the King of the Archipelago fall in love with the Prince of the Celestial Vales. So, in love that they would not be able to physically bear being apart. So, in love that the King will look at no one else except at Prince Jong Dae. So, in love that the King will then refuse to marry the Princess and the alliance will be broken. And in time you will insert yourself as a suitor. If you do your job correctly and marry her you will bring prosperity to the Isles. And you’d shift the power dynamics to me. Do you understand now?”

“Yes,” Su Ho replies quietly. His mind is reeling from everything the Goddess has told him.

“Congratulations, Prince Su Ho. You are about to become a very powerful Prince. Perhaps even a King.”

Su Ho gasps in shock. There hasn’t been a King or Queen to rule the Isles in over four-hundred years. For whatever reason, the Goddess had not blessed any of the Prince’s or Princesses’; and without her blessing, they could not call themselves King or Queen. 

He kneels in supplication. “Thank you, Goddess. I will not fail you. I will do my part to make this plan successful and bring greatness to you and the Isles. I do this as your subject, gratefully.”

“The Oracle will not return to the temple tonight,” she says. “He is to stay here, and you are to teach him what he needs to know so that he may play his part correctly. I nee him to be in place when I arrive. As for my robes, my devotees will bring those tomorrow. Begin the preparations at once. The Oracle will alert me as to when everything is ready and when we have arrived at the Vales. Goodbye, Prince Su Ho.”

*

Wisps of smoke float up through the air of the altar room. Soft murmurs come from a young man kneeling in front of an altar with his palms facing up towards the sky. The young man stops and reaches into the bag at his hip to pull out a piece of paper and a knife. He takes the knife and pushes it into the tip of his thumb. As the blood begins to pool, he realizes that it no longer hurts as much as it used to. A smile blooms across his face at the thought, mind-shifting to a time long passed.

During his first letter at the tender age of eight, one he wrote to his parents in the afterlife, his grandmother had to be the one to do it for him as he was too scared. He cried for hours afterward nestled in between his grandmothers’ arms.

“There, there, Yixing. No need to cry.”

“But it hurt,” he exclaimed, “I don’t ever want to do that again.”

“But Yixing, it’s what is required of us should we want to speak or ask for anything from the Goddess. It is but a small price to pay for their help.”

“Then I won’t ask for anything ever again,” he says sternly with a pout on his lips.

“One day you will grow to not feel as much pain. Just you wait.” His grandmother just chuckles and holds him close.

Yixing remembers the promise that he made while in her arms. One that he did not keep. With time his grandmother’s words came true. Today he felt nothing more than a slight sting. The sight of blood no longer bothers him.

He runs his thumb across the piece of paper that holds his prayer for a safe passage to the Celestial Vales where he will wed Princess Jong Hee and bring her back to make her the Queen of the Archipelago of Fire.

“Your Highness, it is time to set off,” a servant says from the entrance.

He rises from where he was kneeling and bows to the altar. He won’t wait for an answer. Once the paper has burned entirely the fire will put itself out. Should the Goddess will it, his prayer will be answered.

*

Hundreds of miles away two siblings stand on a balcony of their palace watching the hustle and bustle going on around them. Servants walk to and fro carrying an assortment of things. Fabrics, trays, flowers, and food. It’s a testament as to how well run the palace is that no one has tripped or run into each other.

“You know, sister, if your marriage runs as smoothly as your wedding preparations do, I’m sure you’ll have a happy life, even if you end up not loving each other.”

Jong Hee rolls her eyes and takes a deep breath. Her brother means well but it is not the time to remind her that she’ll be marrying a virtual stranger.

“And if you are even as half as efficient as them the country will survive you,” she replies.

Jong Dae puts a hand over his heart, clutching at his robes and pantomiming being in pain. He slowly begins to collapse onto his sister who callously steps aside; causing him to fall. This time his pain is real and his sister breaks into giggles. For added measure, she gives him a few small kicks. Jong Dae writhes on the floor now crying out for help. Neither was paying attention to their surroundings, so they didn’t see their eldest brother coming towards them with a frown etched on his face.

“As annoying as Jong Dae can be, I need him, Jong Hee. So, I’d appreciate it if you would stop kicking him. Do get up Jong Dae, it’s unbecoming for a prince to behave in such a manner. I could hear you from the other end of the courtyard.”

Jong Hee scrambles to right herself leaving Jong Dae a breathless mess on the floor. If Jong Dae had any sense of self-preservation, he would have done the same, but he chooses to lay on the ground a little more to catch his breath. He is slow to rise and when he does, he doesn’t show a bit of remorse for his behavior.

“Jong Dae, you are a Prince of The Celestial Vales-”

“But not the King. You’ll have to excuse me if I have the fun, you’re unable to have. You’ll also have to forgive me for trying to squeeze in the last few moments I can with my sister who will be leaving soon. Unlike someone else.”

“Jong Dae,” Jong Hee hisses, kicking out at him.

“As you said, I’m the King. And unlike you, I have been entrusted with responsibilities, some of which could be yours if you even bothered,” the Crown Prince replies, along with an ice-cold glare.

Jong Dae returns it in spades.

“Enough. I’d rather not have the last memories of my brothers fighting each other. You can save it for later when I’m gone,” Jong Hee says.

Her words cut into the two making them flinch. The King apologizes to her and walks away, his servants following not far behind. Jong Dae and Jong Hee watch him go. A sigh falls from Jong Hee’s lips and her shoulders slump.

“You know,” she says turning to Jong Dae, “He has a point. You need to take some responsibilities for yourself. The military for example. You’re very good at it. If you were to apply yourself, I’m sure you could be an exceptional leader.”

Jong Dae rolls his eyes and walks away in the opposite direction of their brother. Jong Hee not far behind.

“I don’t understand why you won’t do it. If you had taken initiative and continued your training, you’d be heading the Security Council. But instead, you choose to stay here, doing nothing but causing trouble and worrying us,” she says exasperatedly.

Jong Dae stops and turns to face his sister, annoyance falling over his face. “Is that all that I’ve been doing? Here I thought I was spending quality time with you before you leave forever. As for our brother, well he’s much too stiff, a little bit of a shakeup wouldn’t hurt him too much.”

“Jong Dae,” Jong Hee says in that motherly tone she took up once their mother died.

“Don’t ‘Jong Dae’ me. I know you all think that I’m wasting my potential and am nothing more than a troublemaker, but I’m doing what makes me happy. Unlike the two of you.”

“What makes you happy? Are you’re happy giving your brother grey hairs before his thirtieth birthday and spending your time with me in the gardens? Oh please, little brother, I know you. You hate the gardens. They cause your allergies to flare up. And, you miss your older brother. Now that he’s busy with the kingdom and trying to get his wife pregnant he has no time for you. You miss him, admit it.”

“No, I don’t,” Jong Dae replies, pouting like the child he is, walking away from his sister.

This time Jong Hee doesn’t follow. She’s said all she can to Jong Dae. She can only hope that he’ll wake up and finally realize his full potential.

Jong Hee let’s out a sigh. ‘Maybe he doesn’t want to do anything,’ she thinks.

A glint appears in her eyes. She turns to her servants smiling that smile that lets them know that she is up to trouble. The servants shiver on the inside, but don’t let it show. Although she is the more mature one between herself and Jong Dae, she can still raise all sorts of trouble when she feels like it.

“Let’s go meet with the Crown Prince,” she says. There’s a skip to her step as she makes her way towards her brother’s chambers where he is no doubt seething to his wife about Jong Dae. ‘Poor woman,’ she thinks, ‘having to deal with those two after I’m gone.’

*

Prince Su Ho was afraid of the sea. He’d never been out on a boat, everyone too scared to let him on one lest he goes too far and be smitten by the Goddess. As a child, it always bothered him when his caretakers would keep him from it. But that curiosity was squashed when he came upon a dead body on the shore of his private beach. It was then that his caretakers had told him that the Goddess would strike down the ship of anyone who tried to leave the Mad Isles. And that while most of them would be lost to the sea the Goddess would, every few years, allow for a body or two to be found at the shore. As a warning to her subjects to never defy her.

His caretakers had been happy that he no longer wished to go out into the sea. They assumed that the idea of seeing any more dead bodies wash ashore had rid him of the curiosity. And they were right, but truthfully, he was more afraid of the Goddess.

Once they had disembarked from the ship, they were met with a reception party sent by the palace. "A welcome gift for his highness and entourage.", a servant had said. But Prince Su Ho thinks that he would have rather walked up the side of the mountain than be taken up in the carriage.

The Palace of the Celestial Vales had been built atop a cliff that overlooked the city. It is said that the First King of the Celestial Vales had fallen in love with their patron Goddess and so he built it at the highest point so that he may be as close as he can be to her. Others say that it was for their safety as there had been animosity between the third Goddesses’ people and the others. Whatever the reason to Prince Su Ho it was Hell.

The constant jostling of the carriage had him feeling as if his soul was about to leave his body. He had been fine the first few minutes, but the motion sickness quickly set in. Meanwhile, the Oracle seemed to be fairing far better than him.

Prince Su Ho doesn’t think that he’s seen him move at all ever since he stepped into the carriage. Su Ho looks at him and a feeling of jealousy overcomes him. The Oracle looks meticulous. Not a thing out of place.

‘Lucky bastard,’ Su Ho thinks. Prince Su Ho is looking at him trying to figure out just how he can keep himself so put together when the Oracle looks up at him.

“Who will I be when we arrive at the Palace,” the Oracle asks.

“You’ll be my companion,” Su Ho replies.

“I know that,” The Oracle replies, this time his eyes meeting him. “But who will I be? Or are you just going to call me your consort the whole time?

“I should have a name don’t you think,” he asks his voice unsure.

“Oh. A name? A name.”

It hits him that he’s never known him by anything else but The Oracle or Goddess. He also realizes that he’s never thought of the Oracle as human. He thought of him as not related to this world or belonging to humans.

A silence falls over them as the realization washes over them. Su Ho is looking at the Oracle trying to think of a name for him. But each one that he comes up with, he rejects. It just seems like an odd idea to call the Oracle as anything else.

“Maybe, if it’s alright, you and everyone else can call me Se Hun.”

“Se Hun? Why Se Hun?”

For the first, during the whole ride, the Oracle looks uncomfortable. He shifts around in his seat. “I have a memory. It’s faint, but I remember that my parents used to call me that.”

“You have parents,” Prince Su Ho exclaims.

The Oracle, Se Hun, looks at the prince as if he had grown an extra head.

“Of course, I have parents. I’m not some creature that came out of nowhere you know,” he replies, turning away from the Prince.

Prince Su Ho is perplexed by what the Oracle is saying. First, he had a name. Secondly, he had parents. Which meant he probably had a family and a home before becoming the Oracle.

“What happened to them? Your family,” he asks.

“I don’t know. The palace found me when I was a child and took me away. I vaguely remember my parents crying and a devotee offering them, what I could only assume, was a coin purse. After that, all my memories are from living in the temple and training myself to become the Oracle.”

The conversation dies and neither moves to start it up again. Prince Su Ho looks out the carriage window and sees that they are coming up on the palace. It’s a beautiful building; made of white limestone that glistened in the light of the sun. At the entrance, they are met with the King, Princess Jong Hee, and Prince Jong Dae and a myriad of servants.

“Prince Su Ho, it is an honor to have you here with us. We thank you for making the journey to share with us this joyous time,” the King of the Celestial Vales says.

“It’s is an honor to be here to witness the joining of two kingdoms,” Su Ho says diplomatically. He turns to the Oracle.

“This is my... Se Hun,” he says, the name feeling foreign on his tongue. Realizing what he says he quickly diverts the conversation.

"Now, I don’t know about him, but I did have a trying time coming up the mountain, can you please show us our rooms?”

“Of course. My servants will show you to your rooms. Should you have any questions or need for anything you may ask them.”

Prince Su Ho bows and nods his head in thanks. It takes them a while to reach their rooms but when they finally do Prince Su Ho falls into the bed to rest. Se Hun meanwhile remains standing looking down at him.

“You called me yours.”

Prince Su Ho had hoped that he wouldn’t have to explain himself to anyone, least of all Se Hun. “A slip of the tongue. It’s not every day that I try to undercut someone’s authority from within their own home. Besides, I’ve never had a companion. Yet another thing I don’t have experience in. Thankfully the Goddess wasn’t here.”

Se Hun nods and finally sits next to Su Ho. “The Goddess cares so little about us or anyone else. The only thing she wants is for her plan to succeed. No matter the cost.”

A tense silence overcomes them. Su Ho wants to ask what he means by no matter the cost but knowing the Goddess he has an idea of what the cost could be. Se Hun rises, bows, and leaves to his room. A few minutes later he sees the Devotees enter Se Hun’s room. He can only assume that they’ve gone in there to talk with the Goddess. Sometime later Se Hun walks in again but he can tell that he’s speaking with the Goddess and not Se Hun.

“Prince Su Ho you are here to do nothing else but to help me succeed; if you can’t manage to do that then stay out of the way,” she says snidely. “King Yixing arrives tomorrow. I will reside in the body of the Oracle to better be able to move throughout the palace. My devotees are already hard at work procuring the things I will need for the spell. Your job now is to keep people away from our quarters. I don’t want anyone coming and going who is not part of our party already.”

“Understood,” he says morosely.

“Oh, and Prince Su Ho? Put on a smile. I can’t have people thinking that you are upset at being here.”

“Yes, Goddess,” he replies with a smile on his face. The smile does not reach his eyes.

*

Upon his arrival to the Kingdom of the Celestial Vales Yixing is met with a crowd of people eager to see who will marry their Princess. Their screams are loud and their shouts are barely discernable but every so often he manages to catch a word of encouragement from someone in the crowd. He waves from atop his horse and smiles at the crowd.

When Yixing arrives at the palace he is met with the King and Princess Jong Hee. And, to his great surprise, Prince Su Ho and Se Hun.

“My, my, I did not expect to see you here Prince Su Ho. It has been my understanding you’re your Goddess never allows you to leave the Mad Isles.”

Prince Su Ho takes the jab in stride. “You are right. But as this is such an auspicious occasion, she made the exception for us all.”

King Yixing smiles and moves on to take Jong Hee’s arm in his. He gives her a bright smile showing off his dimple. The King turns and leads everyone to the banquet hall where they will be dining in honor of King Yixing’s arrival.

They sit at the head of the table, King at the center, the Queen to his right, and Princess Jong Hee to his left with Yixing sitting next to her and Jong Dae next to him. Su Ho and Se Hun are seated on the opposite side, next to the Queen.

The food is bountiful, along with the drinks. Soon enough the hall is filled with laughter and people talking loudly. The more wine is passed around the louder it becomes. Prince Su Ho is in the middle of a conversation with the King when suddenly Se Hun goes over to King Yixing and Princess Jong Hee and places his arm around the two. He can’t hear what he’s saying to them, but he sees him motioning for one of his servants to come over to them. The servant is carrying a long black bottle. 

“Prince Su Ho is everything alright,” the King asks. Having noticed his eyes shifting to something behind him.

“Oh. Um. Yes, your majesty. I was just taken by how merry the people are here and the scope of the party,” he replies.

“Ah. Yes. I suppose you don’t have these kinds of parties too often. But when you get married, I’m sure you’ll have your banquet and that it will be just as jovial.”

“I. I hope so,” is all he can say. He turns away and drinks from his cup. He’s not sure if the Mad Isles would even have enough food for a banquet or enough wine with which to mark the occasion.

He looks back to the Goddess and sees that she is now handing a piece of candy to Prince Jong Dae. He can only assume that whatever the spell was it was either in the wine or the candy. Or both. Prince Su Ho makes it a point to ask how everything is going when the Goddess finally returns to her seat.

“It’s going perfectly,” she purrs out.

*

As Yixing makes his way to his rooms he begins to feel disoriented and hot. He's almost to his rooms when he passes Prince Jong Dae’s quarters and smells the most heavenly smell. He wants to follow it, no, he needs to follow it to the source. He pushes open the doors and stumbles deeper into Prince Jong Dae’s rooms.

Now the smell is everywhere. It engulfs him to the point that he's intoxicated by it. A door to his right opens revealing Prince Jong Dae, looking equally as hot and disoriented. The scent he’s been looking for hits him like a wave. It’s then that he realizes that the smell is coming from Prince Jong Dae.

“You. Of course, it’s you,” he blurts out. Neither of them says anything else as all their feelings come crashing down over them. Drowning them in the need of each other.

The two come together in a harsh kiss, arms enveloping the other trying to eliminate any space that may exist between them. They make their way deeper into the room, hungrily kissing each other as they fall into the bed. Finally, the two separate long enough to breathe.

“You are beautiful,” Yixing says breathlessly. His eyes roam across Jong Dae’s face taking it all in. He loves his eyes. He loves the upturned edges of his lips. He loves the feeling of Jong Dae’s hair as he weaves his fingers through it.

“As are you. I love your dimple,” Jong Dae says making Yixing to smile. He takes the opportunity to kiss said dimple.

The two stay in each others arms, holding each other. Looking at each other. Taking everything in. Letting their feelings rush and settle through them.

“I love you,” Jong Dae whispers shyly. Almost scared. He’s never felt anything like it before and it scares him.

“I love you too,” Yixing responds.

Hearing Yixing say those words back to him sends a surge of happiness to rush through him. So much that he thinks his heart will explode. Not having anything else to say Jong Dae pulls Yixing’s head down to press their lips together once again.

This time they don’t stop. Only stopping when they need to breathe became too great. The night ends with them laying in the bed together, utterly content, and not a care in the world.

*

There had always been a little voice in the back of Jong Dae’s mind that always acted up when he was doing something wrong. It was there whenever he abandoned his servants and took off on a journey. Or every time he did something that would upset his brother and causing premature gray hairs to appear. Sometimes it would be soft-spoken, other times snarky. But most times, this one included, it would be screaming at him to stop.

‘For Goddesses’ sake stop!’, it screams.

Even with Yixing’s lips on his right now. Or his hand on Yixing’s ass. As marvelous as those two things feel, the voice in his head is making so much noise that he pulls away from Yixing. Although the latter tries his hardest to bring him back in. Jong Dae holds him at arm’s length, but Yixing is desperate to have him back close to him. They had spent the day apart even though all they wanted to do was fall into bed with each other. But they had to wait until nighttime to see each other.

“Yixing. Stop,” Jong Dae exclaims.

“What? What’s wrong?”

“What’s wrong? This is wrong. You’re going to marry my sister. And you and I-”

“We love each other. And, we’re happy. What’s so wrong about that?”

Yixing’s words are heartfelt and to a part of Jong Dae, they speak the truth. But the voice, that damned voice, is talking reason. And making him see sense.

“You’re marrying my sister in a few days,” Jong Dae says defeatedly. His body sags and whatever strength he had has left his body.

Yixing takes advantage of it and embraces Jong Dae. They hold each other in silence. The only noise comes from Jong Dae who’s breathing is labored.

Yixing pulls back and cups Jong Dae’s cheeks in his hands. “Do you know what I dreamt about last night? I dreamt that it was you and I getting married. I would take you back to the Archipelago and we would have our wedding ceremony in front of the Goddesses' temple. We would declare our love and loyalty to each other. We'll go on to live a beautiful life together. It's peaceful and filled with happiness. It was beautiful, Jong Dae. You and I would sleep outside during the summers and stare at the stars. Well, you would stare at them. I’d be too enchanted by you to look anywhere else.”

“But your people would hate me,” he whimpers, tears trailing down his face. Yixing kisses them away.

“No, no, Jong Dae. They will love you, as I love you. They will see your beauty and will become just as enamored by it as I am. With time they will see you for who you are and will love too. We will be loved by our people.”

“An heir, Yixing. You’ll have to have an heir,” Jong Dae says, tears rolling down now.

“I have a cousin. My father’s brother and he already has a son. The Zhang line will continue on, no matter what. Please, Jong Dae. I want to make it a reality. Tomorrow I will tell your brother that I cannot marry your sister while you hold my heart. It wouldn’t be fair to you or her. He is a just man. I’m sure he’ll understand.”

The voice in his head is still telling him that it’s wrong. But it is quieter as if convinced by Yixing’s sweet words. His dream sounds delightful. It’s everything he never thought he would have. For the longest time, he had assumed that he would be married off to some nobleman’s daughter whose family wealth would be added to their coffers. But with Yixing, he can see himself being happy.

“Alright,” he says.

“Alright?”

Jong Dae nods his head, overwhelmed by the feelings coursing through his heart. Those feelings easily silence the voice in his head.

“Tomorrow then. First thing in the morning; I promise.”

Yixing seals his promise with a kiss.

That night they leave each other with a tender kiss that promises more come morning. Jong Dae quickly prepares for bed in the hopes that when he wakes it will be morning and that Yixing’s dream will be on the way to becoming a reality.

Yixing sends a small prayer to the Goddess so that she may give him courage and strength tomorrow when he meets with the King. As is customary he sacrifices a little of himself to get something from her in return.

But, unbeknownst to either of them sinister, more powerful forces will be making their presence known. The ground they stood so steadily and comfortably on will shake and crumble away beneath them opening a truth that neither will want to see. 

_______________________

_BOOM!_

_ BOOM!_

_ BOOM!_

Jong Dae jumps up from his bed at the sound of explosions. He knows the sound of cannons having fired them repeatedly from his time spent with the troops in his youth. They used to practice with the cannons even though the Celestial Vales hadn’t had an enemy that was strong enough to launch a full-scale attack in centuries. When he pressed his father about it, he always said that one must be prepared for anything and everything or they will surely falter should the war ever come.

BOOM! 

He begins to call out for his servants, but he’s met with people whom he does not recognize. They are running all around the room, grabbing clothes and shoes and shoving Jong Dae into them. 

“Who are you? What are you doing in my room,” he asks, but looking around he realizes that it’s not his room. His room had burgundy walls and a bed in the center that was raised on a dais. This room had a whole wall missing and an impeccable view of the ocean.

‘Where the hell am I,’ he thinks.

BOOM!

Another explosion rings through the room, this one sounding much closer than the others. The proximity of it sends the servants into more of a flurry and they haul Jong Dae out of the room. He’s pushed and pulled through a maze of hallways filled with other servants running around screaming at each other. All of them with a look of sheer terror on their faces.

‘What the hell is going on?’

BOOM!

This time the explosion is so close this time that the ground beneath them shakes. Jong Dae falls to the ground but is quickly ushered to his feet and continues to be dragged somewhere deeper into the palace. Screams and cries are heard through the halls. When it seems as if they've reached their destination, they usher him into what he assumes is the throne room. Which would be impressive if it were any other time but this one. It’s bustling with servants, guards, and what he assumes are the heads of security. All sense of order and decorum gone. There is a big map in the center of the room with several people hunched over it, each talking a mile a minute, and pointing at different places on the map.

“According to our spies stationed there, they began their journey at a small port city in the Celestial Vales.”

‘Celestial Vales? Why would they attack here?’

“How many ships?”

He sees Yixing at the center looking extremely haggard and worn. There are dark circles under his eyes and his hair is a mess. There is also the beginnings of a beard, making it look as if he hasn't shaved in several days. And Jong Dae finally realizes where he is. He’s on the main island of the Archipelago of Fire.

“Ten warships that hold the cannons. There are currently two coming towards us. The rest we know have gone to the other islands. There are about three dozen that hold the soldiers. With more on the way. They’ve come ready for ultimate destruction.”

“How long until our troops are ready to fight?”

The group stays silent, heads hung low.

Yixing looks around at his generals. “How long?”

“They attacked the ports at dawn. Our fleet has been depleted by half, what little is left is headed here to the mainland where they wait for your orders.”

"The outlying islands. We have to send troops there."

"Our forces are too depleted, your Highness. We need to secure the mainland and the important ports before we can even imagine helping the rest."

"You would abandon our people," Yixing says in disgust.

"Sometimes you have to cut the limb to save the man, your highness."

“We have to leave now your highness before-”

A shrill scream pierces through the room. The tension evaporates, leaving confusion in its wake. Yixing walks around the table and out of the room with his generals falling in line behind him. Jong Dae follows as well wanting to know who could have possibly made that horrible sound.

As they get closer more screams can be heard. Along with weeping and cries for help. He knew what that meant; injured people had been brought or brought themselves to the palace searching for help. Jong Dae trained for this. He was taught how to dress wounds just as good as he knew how to create them. But no amount of instruction from his teachers, or books, could prepare him for the carnage he saw before him.

People with limbs missing and bones visible from under the skin lay everywhere. Several people had skin peeling off them and others with whole parts of their body black from the fire. Many more with blood streaming down their faces. Some were still conscious and crying out from the pain. Others were frozen in shock. At the gate, there seems to be a steady stream of people coming in. He feels himself becoming sick and begins to hyperventilate.

Yixing turns to him calling his name. “Jong Dae? Jong Dae!”

He can feel himself falling away from him, sinking into darkness.

*

  
When he comes to the bloody scene is gone and he’s alone underneath a night sky. He’s still breathing hard and he can feel the pinpricks of tears threatening to fall.

“It wasn’t real, not yet at least,” a voice from behind him says.

He twists around to find the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen in front of him. Her long, jet black hair falls to her waist; in harsh contrast to her nearly translucent skin that shines like the moon. But nothing is more striking than her eyes. Eyes that hold stars in them. He’s only ever heard of one such woman existing. The Goddess of the Celestial Vales stands before him.

The Goddess opens her arms and envelopes him in a strong hug. She pulls back and wipes his tears away.

“I’m sorry for having shown you that.”

“Then why did you do it?”

The Goddess pulls away and a solemn look comes over her face. “Because I needed you to see what would happen should you leave with King Yixing.”

Jong Dae’s heart begins to race thinking back on everything he heard and saw in the dream. “My brother and sister. They would never allow for this to happen.”

“By the time that happens your siblings are dead. Your sister dies first, giving birth to King Su Ho’s heir. A son. Your brother is killed when the ship that carried him to the Made Isles sinks during a storm. A storm created by my sister, The Goddess of the Mad Isles. It leaves the Celestial Vales under the regency of King Su Ho, as King Jon Deok's heir is still too young; who is in turn under the control of my sister.”

“Why would she do that? They don’t deserve any of that,” Jong Dae says, tears are falling from his face once more.

“Because of power. It’s the only thing she’s ever wanted. We derive our strength from people's faith in us. The more we receive the stronger we become. But her greed and selfishness have caused her followers to dwindle. Her island is slowly dying along with her people. If you leave with Yixing you will fall for her trap and it will set a course of events that will lead to the destruction of our people. Of Yixing’s people.

“Can’t we stop it? I know what will happen. I’ll just tell them. We can stop her,” he pleads.

“My sister is as cunning as she is selfish,” the Goddess says. “She will find another way. But should Yixing and Jong Hee have children they, along with your brother’s son, will be able to fend off any attack from my sister.”

“You said she set a trap. What was it?”

By the look on her face, the Goddess seems reticent to answer. 

“You and Yixing were never supposed to fall in love. The wine and candy she served you the night of the welcome dinner for King Yixing. That night, she forcibly interwove your fates with a love line. The future Yixing imagined for the two you were planted by her too?”

“So, you mean to tell me that all this is fake?”

“It may be a result of the love line that she interwove between the two of you. But it has cemented itself within you. It is very much real now, nothing I or you do will get rid of it. Jong Dae I implore you to see past it. To see what is at stake. To make the right choice.”

“The right choice for you.”

The Goddess shakes her head. “No, Jong Dae. The right choice for your brother and sister. For your people. For Yixing’s people. They deserve to live the life they were given.”

“And what of mine! Why do I have to give up the one thing that makes me happy,” Jong Dae exclaims angrily. “What will I do without him?”

“Live. You will live. You are resilient. You are smart. You are capable of so much more, Jong Dae. I should know. I was so proud after I created you. You were made to be great.”

“Is there anything you can do,” Jong Dae feebly asks. He can feel his voice beginning to break.

“This is all we can do. We do not have the power to undo what she has done. The only upside is that in any life, from now until the end of the universe, you and Yixing will be tied together in life. One day you will be together. And for every life hereafter.”

With that, the Goddess leaves Jong Dae alone. He crumbles to the ground screaming and wailing at his life has become. About the choices, he must make.

*

Jong Dae wakes up with a jolt. He’s covered in sweat and he feels tears falling down the sides of his face. He tries to steady his breath, but to no avail. He gets up and leaves the stuffiness of his room. He needs a place to breathe; a place to think. There’s only one place that could bring him the peace that eludes him.

Their private courtyard is serene at this time of night. Usually, there is bustling just outside its gate what with servants making their way to and from the King’s quarters. It’s usually reserved for the King to serve as a reminder of his duty. A place that he can come to reflect on things. but it has become a source of comfort for Jong Dae.

It’s a small courtyard with low fencing around it and a solitary bench, barely big enough for two people. And it’s made of stone, so it isn’t that comfortable. He brought up the point to his father once and he said the bench wasn’t meant for comfort, it was there so that he may look out upon their kingdom and be reminded of the magnitude of their responsibility. He thinks it’s just another piece of uncomfortable furniture in the palace. He brought it up to his brother but going off the expression he gave him he doesn't see him changing it any time soon.

But maybe that’s the point. A King or Queen’s job is never easy. It’s hard, unforgiving work. One wrong move and it could cost someone their life.

The view is spectacular, however. During the day you can see the ocean for miles. The Sun rises are some of the most beautiful here. He can see the city sprawling below. And although it is late, he can see that there are still many parties being had throughout the city. His people are happy with the match. Jong Dae was once happy with it too.

Jong Dae knows what he wants. He wants Yixing. He wants to be able to wake up next to him in the mornings and have him be the last one he sees at night. He wants to live his life with him. He wants to be as happy as he was last night and this morning when he and Yixing spent their time together. He wants to know everything about Yixing. His likes. His dislikes. What makes him tick and what soothes him. Jong Dae can sing, quite lovely so he’s been told. Would that help to soothe him should Yixing ever feel troubled? He can also be quite annoying when he whines. Would Yixing feel the same way or would he find it endearing? 

He wants to be able to tell him about his worries and fears. To know that there will be someone there to listen to him and not judge him for them. And for Yixing to tell him his.

A loud bang takes him out of his thoughts. He looks around for the source of the noise but does not find it. He hears it again and from the corner of his eye, he sees it; a firework. Followed by another. And another.

_Bang. Bang. Bang. _

He looks out over the city trying to find the source. It looks like a group of people is at the theatre letting off fireworks. The dinner between the two Kingdoms will happen tomorrow and there will be a display later that night for all to see. They will also receive food as a gift from the royal families to mark the occasion.

They would happy.

“But I wouldn’t,” he says in a hushed whisper. 

*

Unbeknownst to Jong Dae, Yixing too had a visitor that night. But it wasn’t the Goddess of the Archipelago. It was his grandmother. He had been so excited to see her, but that excitement soured once he saw the look on his grandmother’s face. It was the same one that she gave him when she was on her death bed. She imparted the same words she had told him then, now.

“You are King of the Archipelago. One of the greatest kingdoms in our world. You will falter at times, but you must never fall. If need be, you may rely on others to help you along the way. But do not become dependent on them. There will come a day where either they will leave you or you will have to leave them.

“There will be times when you must do what is best for the kingdom rather than for yourself. It will hurt, but better you be hurt than the people. For if they are hurt you will be hurt tenfold. Remember to do what is best for the kingdom. Always.”

Back then he had been reticent to be on the throne once he became of age. There was still so much he did not know. So much of life that he did not know.

“Please don’t leave me. Please. I need you still,” he had begged.

Now, having grown into the role of the King he knew what those words meant. In the beginning, he had relied on his friends and advisors in a childlike way but with time and experience, he didn’t have to lean on them so much. Sometimes they had even left him before he was ready. He had hoped that Jong Dae would turn out to be a constant in his life. Someone that he could rely on for the rest of his life. And that he could be someone who Jong Dae could rely on as well.

But looking at his grandmother’s face he realizes that it is not meant to be. “I can’t be with him, can I?”

“No, my dear, you cannot. It would be a dangerous undertaking. One that would result in the destruction of both kingdoms.”

Tears fall from his face swiftly and silently. He closes his eyes trying to get a grip on his emotions. He can feel his grandmother’s hands wiping them away and embracing him into one of her signature hugs. It’s then that he realizes that the embrace of his grandmother and Jong Dae give him the same feeling. Safety.

“I wish you could know him. I’m sure you would love him as much as I do,” he says. He pulls away from her embrace. “I have to tell him.”

“He already knows. The Goddess of the Celestial Vales has visited him already.”

“How do you know?”

“Our goddess told me. She also told me to ask, on her behalf, for your forgiveness. Neither she nor her sister wanted things to end up this way. As such, she promises that one day, both of you will be together and live out your days happily.”

“She has it. Even without her promise. She has it.”

His grandmother gives him one last hug and bids him farewell. His vision ends there and he continues to sleep listlessly.

*

The next morning, Yixing wakes up and gets dressed as normal. His grandmother’s visit last night left him shaken to the core. His servants can tell that there is something off with him. He doesn’t smile or laugh. He doesn’t admire their work as he normally does. They would smile and preen at the compliments, but today they shoot each other looks wondering why their King was so somber.

The silence is broken when a servant calls out to them from outside the door. “A message for the King from Prince Jong Dae.”

Yixing whips his head to the door. “Let him in,” he exclaims.

A servant enters, bows, and passes him a small square piece of paper. Then, they leave as quickly as they arrive.

He haphazardly opens the letter and sees that there are a mere three words written on the whole page.

_ I’m sorry. Goodbye._

That was all. But he can tell that even this much was hard for him. The fold lines are crisp but the paper warps in small bits that he can tell are a result of tears. His heart sinks at the thought of Jong Dae crying over this letter. Yixing had hoped to meet with him this morning. To talk to him about what he had seen in his vision. And, to hopefully figure a way to stay together. But that note dashed the small sliver of hope that he would still want to be with him.

He crumbles the note and tosses it to a corner. His breathing is hard and ragged. He tries to get it under control, but he can’t. The heartbreak is becoming too much for him to deal with and he crumbles to the ground. 

The servants immediately surround him, barraging him with questions of ‘Are you alright, your Majesty?’ ‘Would you like some water?’ ‘Tissues for His Majesty!’ His breathing continues to get worse until he realizes that he is crying. At that point, his servants lose their composure and make a greater fuss. They call for the head butler who quickly ushers them all out of the room.

“Your Majesty, please, tell me what’s wrong. Your Majesty,” he calls out, but Yixing doesn’t answer. He just weeps openly and loudly. His servants remain just outside his doors, speaking in hushed, worried whispers.

Outside of their rooms, an unwanted visitor stands there listening. Dressed in a black robe and black face mask he listens in to the commotion just beyond him. Realizing what is going on he turns away, speeding towards his rooms.

He bursts through the doors, not giving anyone a chance to open them let alone announce him. He stops when he reaches the Goddess of the Mad Isles quarters. He knocks and waits for permission from his Goddess.

“Enter,” a male voice calls out.

The servant in black pushes open the door and walks in to find the Goddess with Prince Su Ho. He bows in deep reverence to both.

“Well, what news of King Yixing?”

The servant rises, head still bowed down. “He weeps, my Goddess.”

The Goddess turns to him with a displeased look on her face. “Weeps. What do you mean ‘he weeps’? Why?”

“I am unsure. But I did see a servant belonging to Prince Jong Dae leaving from their quarters just minutes before the weeping began. No one in King Yixing’s circle seems to know what it is about.”

“Does this mean that your plan failed,” Prince Su Ho asks.

The Goddess turns her attention to him, a look of pure fury contorting the features of Se Hun’s face. She begins to speak when another knock is heard at the door.

“Enter!”

Another servant dressed in all black enters and bows.

“What news do you have of Prince Jong Dae?”

“A servant was sent out early in the morning to deliver a message to King Yixing. From what I heard they were told to deliver it but to not wait for a response. Also, I felt a presence there, my Goddess.”

“What kind of presence?”

“A presence like yours. The air was charged with it. I can only assume that it was the Goddess of the Celestial Vales.”

“Dammit. Dammit. DAMMIT,” she cries.

The Goddess of the Mad Isles is enraged. And while she would usually cause a storm or let out some of her destructive powers she cannot as she is still in the body of the Oracle. So, she settles to knock over the table.

“What do we do now? Does this mean your plan has failed? Do they know that you are here? That we were involved,” Prince Su Ho as manically.

“Shut up,” she spits out. “We’ll need to figure out just how much they have told King Yixing and Prince Jong Dae. And even if they told them anything what are they going to do? Tell the whole palace that they are in love with each other? No. If anything my two darling sisters will have tried to make them see reason.”

“Is that even possible?”

“It shouldn’t be. My potion, along with me entwining their love and lifelines should have been enough.”

“And if it wasn’t,” Prince Su Ho can’t help but ask.

“If it wasn’t then they are both in for long pain-filled lives. They’ll never be happy with anyone. It’ll ruin them.”

A smirk spreads across her face making Se Hun’s face look almost demonic. Deep inside Prince Su Ho had hoped that her magic wouldn’t take, but it seems that no matter what her goal of destroying their lives would come to fruition. One way or another.

*

The day of the wedding comes. The palace radiates with such blissful energy from its occupants. Everyone is happy, the servants for finally being done or filled with anticipation. From the King to his subjects. Meanwhile, Prince Jong Dae is still heartbroken and there seems to be no end in sight. He has gone through the motions as much as he can and smiled when necessary, but it hasn’t been enough. His brother noticed and called him into his chambers last night after dinner.

“Jong Dae, is there something wrong? I know that you and Jong Hee are close. You’ll undoubtedly miss her, but now is not the time for such emotions. We must show a force of strength between the three of us that we are certain and supportive of this union. Even Jong Hee has been able to smile and is now genuinely happy for her marriage with King Yixing.”

Jong Dae has his head down, but he can feel his brother’s eyes on him. His gaze burns him. He can feel himself begin to shake as a result of the pain from the loss. The truth is at the tip of his tongue ready to be let out. To be acknowledged by someone other than him.

But he fights it. He knows that telling his brother will do nothing but disappoint him. And he’s already disappointed him enough by all the other things he’s done. 

“I’m sorry. I’ll do better,” he blurts out. He gives a haphazard bow before turning and running out of the throne room. He moves quickly throughout the Palace. He doesn’t acknowledge the countless bows or greetings he gets from servants and guests.

When he finally gets to his room, he throws himself in front of his mirror. His body is convulsing and sweat is beading on his forehead. Jong Dae knew that it would hurt, the pain he felt at the realization that he’d have to let him go had hurt but not this bad. Try as he might he can’t stop shaking or catch his breath.

That evening he spent time in front of the mirror schooling his features into a face that would hide the feeling of despair that has taken hold of his heart since he sent the letter to Yixing. It’s far easier said than done, but he’s able to manage it. He heaves a small sigh of relief realizing that he'll be able to see his sister off with a smile. Should anyone see him crying they would assume it is from the impending departure of his beloved sister. Not from the heartbreak of seeing his love marrying someone else.

For a time, he had thought the voice in his head that chided him for his wrongdoings was the loudest and most annoying thing in his life. But the new voice that cried for Yixing and whimpered every time Jong Dae rejected the idea of going to his rooms was so much worse. He was only able to squash it when he thought of the vision he was given by the Goddess. It helps him be resilient against the urge to run to Yixing.

Finally, after hours of fighting against himself, Jong Dae falls asleep in resignation as exhaustion overcomes him. The few hours of sleep that he’s able to get are listless. A gift by the Goddess he assumes. But if it isn’t and if this is what he must look forward the rest of his life he wonders just how he’s going to manage it.

*

As is customary in the Celestials Vales, Jong Dae sits behind his brother, next to his sister-in-law, while Jong Hee stands in the front, back facing them, waiting for Yixing to arrive. In the Celestial Vales, any foreign person or person who comes from a new city will be the one to meet their fiancé and their family at the altar. In this case that is Yixing. Once they arrive at the Archipelago of Fire, they will have another ceremony in their customs and to make Jong Hee a Queen of the Archipelago.

The wedding hall is decorated with banners of the family crests of both kingdoms. The crest of the Archipelago of Fire is a myriad of colors that reflect its ocean, it’s trees, and its volcanoes that are always erupting and forming more islands. The crest of the Celestial Vales is white with light blue and green thread forming the outline of the palace atop the mountain edge that it was erected on.

That’s all that Jong Dae notices of the room. He doesn’t notice anything else. Not the worried glances from his brother and sister; or the glare from Se Hun go unnoticed. Even when Yixing arrives, he misses the brief look that he sends him.

But he does hear the Priestess begin the ceremony. The speech is probably the same from when his brother got married so he manages to tune it out. It isn't until his sister begins to remove her outer robe removed along with any ornamentation that would denote her as a Princess of the Celestial Vales that he begins to pay attention. It is a custom applied to both royal and non-royal people alike whenever anyone from a different class, community, or kingdom marries into a new station. It’s typical for the departing party to be stripped of their old station to be accepted by their new community.

Stripped of all the decoration Jong Hee turns to Yixing who begins by putting on the traditional robe of a Queen of the Archipelago. It’s a beige robe with gold thread running along the sleeves and hem. He tightens it around her waist with a green sash. Next, he presents her with earrings made from gold and accented with tiny diamonds. All this while proclaiming his vows and intentions to the room.

Finally, Yixing places a ring with a gold band and diamond ring on his sisters’ finger. Jong Dae thinks his sister is a sight to behold. But, deep in the recesses of his mind, he thinks that it should be him receiving all those gifts. That he should be the one to be receiving Yixing’s vows of loyalty, protection, and companionship.

Jong Hee turns her gaze to him and sends him a small smile that he easily returns. Her smiles have always been infectious and the cure for any of his bad ailments. He feels a bit of happiness blossom in his heart, spreading to the rest of his body. He realizes that while he wishes it was him walking arm in arm with Yixing towards the ship that is to take them away he doesn’t hold any ill will towards his sister. As he shouldn't. He knows she is in good hands. Yixing will be loyal, give her protection, and that he’ll love her as much as he can during their marriage.

He watches them leave, but their custom keeps him from following them. Once the marriage is complete they leave immediately, no longer being part of their community. There is a carriage waiting for them outside that will take them through town and to the docks. It will be Jong Hee’s last time seeing her people and her home. It is a journey that neither Jong Dae or her brother can accompany her on and so they sit and watch as their sister leaves them for good.

Jong Dae had thought that he could feel no more pain, that he had felt enough for a lifetime. Watching his sister leave, however, knowing it is forever, causes a chasm to open within him. It had never occurred to him just how much he would miss her. But he will, dearly.

The doors shutter behind them and the chasm that formed in Jong Dae’s soul at the loss of his sister and love. He is left empty, void of any feeling. A stray tear falls from his eye that he does not wipe away. It will be the last tear he sheds for the two.

*

He watches the procession from the King's overlook. He can see and hear his people giving their goodbyes to Jong Hee. It'll be the last time either party sees each other.

Jong Dae had always enjoyed the view that their private courtyard provided. It overlooked the city and he could see both the natural and manmade wonders. It was a view that every prince and princess looked upon once they were coronated as King or Queen. It served as a reminder of all that was their responsibility. 

At times that responsibility had seemed stifling and the weight crushing. Although he was not the Crown Prince his father still took the time to bring him here. He had told him that while he would not bear the brunt of the responsibility, he should do all that he can to support his brother and to protect the Celestial Vales.

He had accepted the responsibility that came with being a prince. He had accepted being relegated to be the spare. He had accepted that the people would come first. Always. But he never thought that in doing so he would be relegated to such an empty life.

A warm breeze passes over him, but he doesn’t feel it. As a matter of fact, he feels cold. He had never felt as much love as he did in the short time that he had with Yixing. And, he had never felt such heartbreak. Jong Dae wonders if he’d ever feel the same or have a semblance of how he was before all this happened. He hopes that one day he will, but there’s a significant part of him that doubts it.

“It’s a beautiful view up here,” a voice from behind him says. He turns around and finds Prince Su Ho’s companion, or rather the Goddess of the Mad Isles, standing a few feet away. 

“How did you find this place? Only the Royal Family is allowed here,” he says annoyed at the interruption. It’s been a hard enough day and he doesn’t feel up to exchanging pleasantries with anyone. Let alone the being who has caused all this mess. Goddess or not.

“Let’s call it instinct. I felt a calling to this place. It’s said that this is where the Goddess blesses the new King. Is that true?”

Jong Dae bristles at the question and turns away from her. “I wouldn’t know.”

“Of course you wouldn't. My apologies, it seems that I have overstepped my boundaries,” she replies. “Yet another thing that you cannot have as a result of you being merely a Prince.”

Jong Dae turns to her with a glare. "You've done enough damage. Leave. Now.”

Rather than listening to him, Se Hun walks toward him until he is a mere step away.

“Your impertinence is bothersome. Say what you want and leave,” he says, no longer hiding his aggravation.

The Goddess is nice enough to look contrite as she bows her head in apology. “I just wanted to tell you that I think you are a damn fool for not leaving with the King Yixing. I hope that whatever promise my sister gave you will be worth it.”

“How dare you- “

“I mean really,” she begins, shrugging her shoulders, “That could be you down there instead of your sister. It could be you that rules by his side instead of her. But you gave it all up. And what did you end up with? A broken heart and a bleak future. One in which you know that you will never love anyone else as you loved him. One where you will feel lonely even when surrounded by your closest confidants. One where you will regret this decision every day for the rest of your life.”

She is outright laughing now. Meanwhile, Jong Dae feels his heart constrict in pain as a result of her words. He wants to refute everything that he’s saying but he can’t. He can’t because he knows that it’s true. Every word. And he hates it.

“Oh, don’t look so sad,” Se Hun coos at him. She pulls him into a tight hug. “I’ll make it so that you won’t have to face that future. A consolation gift for all that I’ve done. And the punishment for all that you failed to do for me.”

The Goddess grabs Jong Dae’s arms tightly and lifts him, carrying him to edge. Before Jong Dae can ask what he’s doing the Goddess flings him over the cliff’s edge, as if he weighs nothing. His arms reach out for the cliff’s edge.

But it’s too late.

He knows that it's several hundred feet down and that it won’t take long to reach the ground. But regardless it feels like an eternity to him. He feels fear, anger, and sadness run through him. Jong Dae thinks about Yixing. He thinks about his brother. He thinks about his sister. He thinks about his parents. He thinks about how much time he wasted being a thorn in everyone’s side.

He thinks of the last time he had looked Yixing in the eyes. It was just after being proclaimed husband and wife. He had looked so defeated. Jong Dae thinks that he should have smiled at him, at least. Reassured him that everything would be all right. But he didn’t.

“I’m sorry," he whispers.

He never does hit the ground. His fall ends with him being impaled by several branches of a tree.

It will take them days to find Jong Dae’s body. A young boy walking along a trail finds it. It’s a terrible sight the villagers will whisper about for years to come. Jong Dae, their prince, once so lively and radiant had become a horrible corpse, almost unrecognizable.

The funeral will be put together quickly, and the people will mourn for the loss of their prince. The King will forbid anyone from telling his sister what had happened until he deems enough time passed. 

*

“What have you done,” Prince Su Ho asks incredulously.

The Goddess faces him raising her eyebrow and looking at him as if he were stupid. She steps so near him that she must bend down to look him in the eye.

“That little chit ruined my plans,” she states matter-of-factly. “Besides I did him a favor. I wasn’t lying when I told him he would live a miserable life. Now, give the word that we leave in the morning. I don’t want to spend another day in this misbegotten place.”

The Goddess walks off with her head held high. As if she just hadn’t murdered Prince Jong Dae in his palace. Prince Su Ho begins to walk away, but his legs give out from under him. His breathing is quick and shallow. An overwhelming fear engulfs his mind. He sends out a prayer, more like a call, asking for help.

For himself.

For everyone.

The Goddess of the Mad Isles is not one to be crossed. Sooner or later she’d get back at them, one way or another. Prince Su Ho hopes that he won’t be around to see any of it happen when it does. 

*

When Queen Jong Hee learns of her brother’s passing, she breaks down. Yixing thinks he would have too had he let himself. But he was King, first and foremost, husband second, and man last. Instead of letting the grief and heartbreak take control he compartmentalizes it all. He is there for Jong Hee that first day and all that follow.

He lets her cry as much as she wants. At times he overhears servants and other nobles whisper about how unbecoming it is for a Queen to be so despondent, but he doesn’t pay them any attention. He finally silences them by holding a departure ceremony for Jong Dae. It’s a ceremony traditional of the Archipelago of Fire that is held by those who knew the departed. It can last a few hours or the whole day. But as it is just him and Jong Hee and a few servants in attendance it is over rather quickly.

They said their prayers and Yixing shows Jong Hee the custom that they have that is special to the Archipelago of Fire. He takes out his knife and asks for her hand. Confused as to what is going on Jong Hee is reticent to give it.

“The Mad Isles has an Oracle that can host their Goddess for a time. The Celestial Vales does not. The Goddess chooses to come to them in their dreams instead. Here in the Archipelago, the Goddess does neither. We are unsure why, but from the beginning, it has always been required that a sacrifice be given to the Goddess in case we ever needed or wanted something from her. That includes being able to communicate with the dead.

“And so, we offer a bit of ourselves to her so that she may grant us an audience, with her or whomever we want. Or if we just want them to receive a message directly, we can write it down and burn it in a small pyre at the altar. The more you want, the more you give, but in this ceremony, a small prick is all that’s needed. After all, we are just paying our respects.”

Jong Hee takes it all in, and while she still has an air of uncertainty around her, she gives Yixing her hand. He remembers how he felt the first time he did it and tries to be as gentle as his grandmother had been with him. She flinches once the knife breaks the skin, but she schools her features quickly.

“It’s alright to be scared. It was the first time. During my first time, it had hurt so much that I vowed to never do it again. But, over the years, I became used to the pain and it stopped hurting as much.”

“It’s not that. Not entirely at least,” Jong Hee says, head hung low. “I’ve heard them say that I shouldn’t be mourning this much. That it’s unbecoming of a Queen and they wonder whether you made the right decision entering a marriage with someone as emotional as me.”

“They only say that because I am unfeeling. Well not necessarily unfeeling, but I don’t show my emotions to the public all the time. Only when the occasion calls for it. And even then, I am still composed. It’ll be good for them to see someone being open about what they’re feeling. Don’t stop. Feel all you want. Cry. Scream. Be angry.”

Jong Hee gives him a small nod. She takes the letter she had written Jong Dae and puts the drops of blood that had pooled on her finger on it. She folds it and places it in the fire. She watches as Yixing pulls out his letter and pricks himself.

“You don’t have to do that.”

Yixing stops and looks at her. He figures that she thinks he’s doing it out of the kindness of his heart, rather than for the love he has for Jong Dae.

“I want to.” He places his letter in the fire and together they watch it burn until it is nothing. They stay there for a while until Jong Hee announces that she would like to rest. Being the gentlemen that he is Yixing walks her back to her rooms. He kisses her on the forehead, tells her to rest, and leaves her in her rooms. He knows he should stay with her, but he, too, needs time alone. 

He lays in bed and waits for the familiar feeling of sleep to come over him. When it does, he lets himself fall into it. Some time later he opens his eyes and sees Jong Dae standing before him under a starry sky.

Neither does anything but take in the presence of the other.

“Wait for me. I will find you.” Yixing tells him.

Jong Dae says nothing but nods and then dissipates into nothing. It hurts knowing that he’ll go back to a world without Jong Dae, but he is comforted knowing that they will one day be together again.


	2. Second Life

The Kim and Zhang families had made their fortunes during the reign of King Jong Deok and King Yixing. The Kim family even received their surname as gratitude from King Jong Deok for all that they did for the Kingdom. They were extremely thankful and promised to do the name proud. They went even further by promising to name the heir of each generation after a member of the royal family.

The Zhangs, meanwhile, had been bestowed a royal title, of low rank, but they’d take it, in honor for all that they did for the people. In return, the patriarch of the Zhang had promised to name his first-born son after King Yixing. Unfortunately for him, he had a daughter.

Who had a daughter.

Who had a daughter.

But the promise was not forgotten, and it was passed down from generation to generation until one day the great-granddaughter was visited by the Goddess of the Archipelago and was given a special mandate.

The Goddess She was told that she was pregnant with a son. She was ecstatic until the Goddess told her the rest.

“He is to be wed to the heir of the Kim family of the Celestial Vales. Heed my warning. Should you fail or disregard my mandate your family will fall into ruin.”

That morning, she went down to the breakfast table feeling anxious about how her family would take the news. They would be proud to know that the family will finally have a male heir. However, she’s fearful of how they will take the news when she tells them who their in-laws will have to be. The Zhangs have not been happy with the Kim’s ever since a branch of the family moved to the Archipelago and became their biggest and fiercest competitor in terms of business.

When she arrives at the breakfast hall it’s quiet as always. Save for the children who buzzed with energy. She takes a seat next to her husband who waves over one of the servants to bring her breakfast.

“Thank you,” she says when her plate is set in front of her. She takes a few bites, but it quickly becomes apparent that the food won’t sit well with her son. Pushing it aside, she begins to look around at who is in attendance. As much as she dreads having to tell her family, she fears the Goddess and what she will do if she doesn’t do as she’s told even more.

“I was visited by the Goddess last night,” she begins.

Silence falls over the room as her family turns their full attention to her. Her husband is the first to break the silence.

“Well. What did she say?”

“She said that I, we, are to have a son.” As soon as those words were out of her mouth the room erupted into cheers. Some of the elders even shed tears. Her husband envelops her in a hug. She could hear them calling for wine so they may toast to the new member of the family.

But before they could properly celebrate, she calls out to them to stop.

“There is more. She told me that our son is to wed the heir to the Kim line. And, that if we didn’t allow the marriage that our family would fall into ruin.”

The happiness that had filled the room was now filled with a tinge of anger, disappointment, and fear. However, her family was nice enough to not direct it at her. Still, she looked to her mother and father for support. Making eye contact with her mother she can see that she is troubled by the news. But as she stands and calls everyone to attention, her worries disappear. Her mother has a look of resolution on her face that she gets whenever an obstacle comes along that she must face head-on.

“There is no other choice,” her mother’s voice rings out, strong and sure. “If the Goddess wills it, we must do all we can to make sure it happens. I will send a servant with the news. We have worked too hard, for too long, to lose it all over such a trivial matter.”

The Zhang family sends out a messenger to the Kim family that afternoon with instructions to not leave until they have read the letter and given him a reply.

Not even an hour later is the messenger back saying that they request a meeting over lunch the next day. As it turns out the daughter in law of the Kim’s had a similar vision. Relief washes over those who were worried about them rejecting their proposal. The rest bristle at the idea of becoming family to the Kims.

They decide that it would be best to only have Chang Ying, her husband, Ziyi, and her mother and father attend the meeting. There are objections from her sisters as they feel that they should be there for moral support. They just want to watch the fallout should the meeting go wrong and see if just how magnificent and beautiful Kim’s estate is.

Once they arrive at the estate, they realize that the people are, for once, not being hyperbolic. Its construction was modeled after the homes of the Celestial Vales and by the looks of the materials, it stands to reason that they were brought over from the Celestial Vales. In other words, the Kim’s pockets ran deeper than the bottomless pit found in the North.

They are let into the courtyard where a servant was waiting for them.

“Welcome! The Master and Mistress are expecting you in the parlor. Please follow me.”

They follow him across the courtyard and through winding hallways. Along the way, they see paintings, furniture, and décor that could only be from the Celestial Vales. Chang Ying wonders for whom they are flaunting their wealth. Surely, they didn’t have that many people coming to visit on any given day.

The parlor is a medium-sized room with tables and chairs spread throughout with a fireplace in the center. The Kim’s sit at the back of the room facing them on a long lounge. The Kim’s stand and give them a swift bow, unlike the formal one they should be given per their status. Lady and Lord Zhang share a look, but they let the indiscretion pass. They didn’t expect much from them anyway. The Zhangs take their seats on a similar lounge across from them, with Chang Ying and her husband in the center and her parents flanking them.

“Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Kim Jong Deok, named after the King that bestowed my family the titles of Baron and Baroness. This is my wife Kim Seo Hyung. My son, Kim Soo Hyun and his wife Kim So Ra.”

The Head of the Kim family nods to one of his servants and tea and food are promptly served. So as not to offend anyone further Chang Ying accepts the tea and sends the daughter-in-law a small smile.

The latter looked uneasy while everyone else looked as if they were ready to jump out the nearest window. The rest of the group slowly joins in and they enjoy the food in silence. At least until Chang Ying asks the question that’s been on everyone’s mind.

“Did you have a vision as well?”

Everyone freezes. So Ra nods in affirmation. Slowly they put their cups down and the servants take them away.

“What did she say?”

“She said that my son is to marry yours. That should we try to impede the match our family will fall into ruin,” she says in a quiet voice, breaking down at the end.

So Ra begins to cry into her husband's shoulders. Their parents share a look and give each other a nod. Chang Ying’s mother sighs and stands up to address the room.

“It seems we have no other choice; we must follow through with her orders. My family has worked too hard just to see it go to waste over family squabbles. After seeing your home I believe you’ll agree with me.”

“I do,” Master Kim replies. He stands and moves over to her, holding out his hand. “From here on out we have to we have to make sure they come together, your ladyship.”

“But what if they don’t want to,” a voice from behind them asks.

The two turn to Chang Ying’s husband, Ziyi, who looks regretful of having spoken up. 

“Excuse me,” Master Kim replies, irked at the thought. “It matters not what they want but what is best for the family!”

Lady Zhang holds a handout to Master Kim and walks over to her son-in-law. “We will do everything necessary for them to come together in the end. No means are off the table. Do you understand?”

Ziyi nods his head and sinks into the lounge seat. “Yes, my lady.”

As the heads of the families, they forge ahead and concoct the plan that they are sure will result in the match and have their future secured. But as they came to realize later all the worries, the stress and the time spent planning was for nothing.

Lord Zhang Yixing and Kim Jong Dae, named after King Jong Deok’s brother, came together naturally. Both were good-natured boys who complimented each other very well. Where Yixing was at times quiet and kept to himself, Jong Dae would get him to come out of his shell with his personality. They became fast friends, but that was not enough for their families. They had Jong Dae and Yixing study at the same school and be in the same classroom all through their education. They even had the same tutor. The families figured that if it was meant to be it was best for it to happen sooner rather than later.

But it didn’t. After everything they did, all the potential suitors they had to turn away, neither one showed romantic interest in the other. Then, when Jong Dae and Yixing were eighteen, Jong Dae asked his parents to send him to the Celestial Vales.

To say that it was a surprise would be an understatement. He made the announcement during dinner, which was not the smartest thing to do. Those members of the family that had been there during So Ra’s announcement blanched. Two of them fainted, and one began to cry hysterically. Meanwhile, his mother and grandparents became very cross with him, chiding him for making such a decision without first discussing it with them. The only one who seemed to take it well was his father.

“I think it’s a fabulous idea. The boy needs to see more of the world. That includes his ancestral home. He’ll stay with my brother,” he says. Unlike the rest of his family, who seem to have lost their appetite, he continues to eat.

So Ra turns to her husband, with a look that made Jong Dae cower in fear, but his father seemed impervious. Knowing she would get nowhere with her husband she instead turns her ire to her son.

“What in Goddess’ name brought this on,” she says, trying very hard to not raise her voice.

“I just want to know more about our world. All I’ve ever known was the Archipelago. I’ve seen everything there is on the island. But I know there’s more to see and I’d like to start with the Celestial Vales. After that who knows.”

“And Yixing what of him? He is to begin training at his family’s business soon is he not?”

Jong Dae sighs and meets his mother’s eyes for the first time. “He won’t be coming with me.”

If the first announcement had been a punch to the gut, this one was him elbowing them in the back and kicking them when they were already down on the ground. Those who had fainted or become hysterical had already been taken care of, but now the rest of his family leave the room, telling So Ra to fix this.

“I don’t understand. Why would you want to leave,” So Ra asks her son.

“It’s not forever, just for a year. Maybe two. I know what I’m doing, trust me.”

“Absolutely not,” his grandmother exclaims. “You cannot stay away for that long. Besides what do you plan on doing that whole time that you can’t do here?”

“Learn and do new things, grandmother. Meet new people. There’s so much more for me to learn out there. Please. Please, let me do this. I need to do this.”

“Let him go, So Ra,” her husband, Soo Hyun, says. “He’s set his mind on this, you know there will be no changing it. All of you need to calm down. Besides, it’s about time he gained some independence don’t you think?”

“You know what is at stake. Are you willing to take that chance,” So Ra’s father asks.

Soo Hyun lets out a sigh and sets down his utensils. “If the Goddess wills it to be, then it will be. We have done all we can. Now it is up to them.”

“No! I won’t allow it,” So Ra exclaims. “He can’t leave. What if something happens to him? What will we do then?”

Soo Hyun looks at his wife, his usually strong wife acting so pitifully. He turns to his son and says, “Jong Dae go wait outside while we discuss this.”

Jong Dae practically runs down the door in his haste to get out of that room. He’s not sure why his family is freaking out so much. really. But then again when the Goddess decrees that your sons are supposed to marry each other or be ruined there isn’t much of a choice.

When Yixing had told him several months ago what they had been doing to them since their infancy all of it suddenly made sense. All the playdates. All the boys who would confess their love for him but the next day give him the cold shoulder.

It had bothered him initially, but Jong Dae knew that he would be happy to spend his whole life with Yixing so it didn't irk him as much or for long. Yixing, however, thought otherwise. He said that they still had a lot of growing up to do. That they owed it to themselves to see what the world held for them aside from each other. So, he figured shipping Jong Dae off for a year or two would be the for the best. He thinks they'll be fine but Jong Dae knows it's the optimist inside Yixing.

Jong Dae was very upset by it all. The lack of transparency from his parents. Yixing’s willingness to let him go, even if it was for only a year. He said that he, they, needed to be apart from each other. Yixing had originally asked for three years but Jong De put his foot down. He knew he wouldn’t be able to make it three years away from him or his family. He didn’t budge until Yixing settled on one year away. And even then, he isn’t sure he’ll be able to make it.

“Jong Dae,” his father says, taking him out of his thoughts. 

He turns to see his father expectantly. “Well?”

“You can go. But you cannot stay away for more than two years.”

Jong Dae knew Yixing would be happy to hear of this. But there had been a sliver of hope in Jong Dae that his mother and grandparents would be able to overpower his father’s opinion. Alas, it was not meant to be.

The next day word was sent to the Zhang family of the upcoming change. The news was not well received there either. But rather than crying or fainting the Zhang family screamed and fought over it. It had almost come to fisticuffs when Yixing gave them an ultimatum. Let him and Jong Dae have these two years apart or they would never marry. His family gave in so quickly Yixing thought he should have opened with that instead of trying to reason with them.

As the date for Jong Dae’s departure drew closer and closer the two spent every waking moment together. Whether it was reading together, taking a walk in the gardens, or to run menial errands, they took every chance to be together. Grumbles of ‘why would they want to be apart for so long if they want to be together so much’ could be heard from both sides of the family. But Yixing and Jong Dae ignored them.

When the day came for Jong Dae to leave any anger that was left had evaporated; leaving only sadness in its wake. It had finally dawned on Jong Dae’s mother that her son would be gone for two years and that the only communication they may have is through letters. She mentally flogged herself for having wasted so much time being angry at him that when it was time for Jong Dae to board the ship, she wouldn’t let him out of her embrace. After all, he had never left home for longer than a night and even then, she knew that he was with the Zhangs. Now she would have no idea where he was or if he was safe.

“So Ra let the boy go. Your holding up the ship,” Soo Hyun says pulling his wife away.

“I’ll be alright, mother. I promise to write as soon as I arrive,” Jong Dae swore.

Unable to let out nothing more than sniffles his mother just nods. Jong Dae’s father gives him a short, but strong hug. “Remember why you’re doing this, son. There is so much more out there than just what is here. Be sure to take it all in.”

Jong Dae just nodded and moved on to Yixing. He had schooled himself on what he wanted to say so that he wouldn’t burst into tears. He didn’t want to go, but Yixing was certain this is what they needed. He steels himself against the feelings of despair he feels at the thought of not seeing Yixing for at least a year.

“I will miss you-,” he’s unable to finish as Yixing’s lips are now on his. It may not have been their first kiss, but this one had been different from the others. Not only was it their first in public, but it was also their first in front of family. They had been very careful not to be seen. Yixing said it was embarrassing.

Jong Dae, on the other hand, thought it was stupid. If he wanted to kiss Yixing he should be able to do it. Other people be damned.

Yixing pulls away and walks Jong Dae to the plank so that he may board the ship.

“Two years may seem long, but they’ll be over before you know it. Then we can be together just like you want.”

Jong Dae nods and lets go of his hand, but he can feel Yixing squeezing it one more time. Yixing’s chest is rising up and down quickly. That’s when he realizes that Yixing is not impervious to the situation. Not trusting his voice, he just nods and walks up the plank. He stands at the edge to take one last good look at his family. He stays there until they are merely spots on the dock. He walks down to his room and throws himself into the bed; hopeful that sleep will come soon so that he may avoid crying at being apart from them.

It takes him 3 weeks to arrive at the Celestial Vales. Their journey was a sound one for the season. His cousin meets him at the docks and takes him to the family home where he will be staying for the next year or two.

‘It’s not bad,’ Jong Dae thinks. On his way through the city, he sees several things that he would like to try. Food, games, and even some drinks. He’ll have to get reacclimated with the language soon though as what little he knew probably wouldn’t be enough to get by. Once they arrive at their home and he meets the rest of his family he comes to realize that maybe this wasn't such a bad idea after all.

*

‘Not such a bad idea, my ass,’ he thinks.

He lasted two months before missing Yixing became overwhelming. He hadn’t even thought of or missed his mother and father as much. Guilt compounded his feelings making him feel worse. He had promised he’d write to his mother, but when he sat down to write he found that he could not summon any good spirits.

He’d start his letters saying that his journey had gone well and that everyone here was well too. The city was good. As was the food and entertainment. The people were quite amiable as well. But soon enough he’d be reduced to tears from how much he missed them all. Even his meddling family members.

His cousins had tried to get him out to see all that the city had to offer, but whenever he found something good, he’d want to tell Yixing almost immediately, and not having him there ruined his mood for the rest of the day.

As a result, every letter he started ended with ink running across the bottom of the page due to the number of tears he shed.

By the beginning of the fifth month, he decides that he needs to go home. He won’t bother sending a letter ahead of him, it would be a waste of time.

He begins to pack so that he can catch the first ship out of port heading to the Archipelago. One of his cousins, after being alerted of the ruckus that Jong Dae was making, came to check on him.

“What’s all this,” he asks, scared of the state of the room. It looks like a typhoon went through it.

“I’m leaving.”

“Say what? I thought you were going to spend at least a year here.” 

“I was. But I realized that this was a stupid idea. At least the part that involved me coming alone. I promise I’ll come back, but next time I’ll bring Yixing with me. I promise you’ll love him.”

“Well, in that case, I guess you should know that there is no passenger ship that is set to leave. Now, will you please stop this, it’s ridiculous.”

Jong Dae pays him no heed and continues to run around in a flurry trying to get everything packed. “No, I need to leave as soon as possible.”

His cousin goes over to him and stops him. “I told you no passenger ships are leaving for the Archipelago of Fire. The last one just arrived.”

“Perfect, I’ll leave on that one,” he says pulling away and goes back to pulling out his things and packing them haphazardly.

“Jong Dae, that ship won’t leave for another 3 months at the earliest.”

Jong Dae whips around to face his cousin, a look of utter despair blooms across his face. “Why not!”

“Because, Jong Dae, those workers have lives, families they want to spend time with. Also, the typhoon season is upon us. The only ships that will go out there are the ones for commerce. And, no they won’t take you on. Those ships have barely enough room for their crew and their wares, they’d have no room for you. I’m afraid you’re stuck here until it passes.”

Jong Dae plops down on a closed trunk as his cousin's words settle over him. What began as a hopeful day quickly turns sour. He doesn’t cry. He finds that he doesn’t have it in him to cry anymore. His cousin tries to make him feel better by promising to take him out to the theatre or a walk in the forest, but nothing worked.

A knock sounds through the room. “Young master, a visitor for Master Jong Dae has arrived,” a servant announces.

“Who is it,” his cousin asks. Both are confused as to who it could be as Jong Dae had not gone out enough to make any friends. And they hadn’t received any correspondence from home saying that someone would be arriving.

“A man by the name of Lord Zhang just arrived, your father has shown him to the main room.”

At the sound of his lover's name, Jong Dae jumps up and runs out the door, leaving his cousin and servant alone in the room.

Resigned over the circumstances he turns to the servant. “Return his clothes to their place. Something tells me he may be staying for some time now.”

“Yes, young master.”

Meanwhile, Jong Dae was running through the house, knocking into things and people along the way. All while thinking that he had to go faster and faster. As he gets closer, he stops at a mirror to look at himself. He has sweat coming down his face, his hair is greasy, going in all directions and his robes are in disarray. He ran his hand through his hair trying to settle it as much as possible. He straightened out his robes and wiped the sweat away with the sleeves.

When he finally enters the room, he comes face to face with his Uncle and Yixing, who, for lack of a better word, looked like shit. His hair was longer than usual, and he had facial hair. Yixing never had facial hair before. As Jong Dae got closer, he saw the bags under his eyes. But, as terrible as Yixing looks Jong Dae doesn’t think he’s ever been happier to see him.

“Jong Dae, it seems as if Lord Zhang will be staying with us for the next few months. As he is your guest, I’ll leave you as host. Do so properly, so that I can at least tell my brother that you’ve learned something during your time here, Jong Dae.”

Jong Dae just nods and takes the seat across from Yixing. He calls for the servants to serve them tea. Neither says anything for a while. The silence gets to Jong Dae and he cracks.

“Why are you here,” he blurts out.

Yixing lets out a deep sigh, sagging back into the chair. “Because I was wrong. I thought that this time apart would be good for us. It hasn’t been. At least not for me.”

“It hasn’t been good for me either,” Jong Dae reassures him. “So, what does this mean?”

“It means that I would like for us to never be apart again. If that is alright with you.”

“I never wanted to be apart in the first place. This was your idea you know,” Jong Dae says voice breaking.

Yixing stands up and goes over to Jong Dae. He kneels in front of him and takes his hands in his. “It was a good idea at the time. I figured you and I should have some time away from each other before…”

“Before what?”

“Before we got married.”

“Who says I want to marry you,” Jong Dae exclaims. “Especially after you pressured me into doing this. Do you have any idea-”

His rant was stopped by Yixing’s lips on his own.

Yixing pulls away and says, “I love you and you love me. Besides, you swore that you’d be my husband when we grew up. Or did you forget that?”

Jong Dae feels a blush spread across his face. “I can’t believe you remember that. We were three!”

“Age is irrelevant when it comes to how I feel about you. I’ve loved you as a friend for all my life and now I promise to love as a man for the rest of it. Kim Jong Dae will you make me the most blessed man in all of creation by becoming my husband?”

“Yes,” Jong Dae says bringing Yixing into a tight hug.

*

When Lord Zhang had arrived, Jong Dae’s Uncle had been surprised by his appearance. His clothes had been disheveled and there was a very bad smell coming from him. He was sure that his facial hair he had was not intentional either. Overall, he looked like a sad excuse for a man, let alone a nobleman. Which is why he was so surprised by the announcement that they would be getting married.

“Married? To him,” he asked just to be sure. Lord Zhang still looked haggard, but there was a light in his eyes that had not been there before. Love is not only blind but its olfactory senses don’t work either.

“Yes. As soon as possible,” Jong Dae replies.

“Well…” Yixing begins “I had spoken with Jong Dae’s father before I left.”

“You talked to my father,” Jong Dae questions. But Yixing just keeps talking.

“I told him of my intentions in coming here. He gave me his blessing, but he made me promise to wait until they arrived. He knew Jong Dae would be like this. My family will be coming along as well. They will arrive on the first barge after the typhoon season is over.”

“Very well then. Four months will have to be enough to plan the wedding. We will prepare the dinner and the ceremony. And Jong Dae.”

“Yes, Uncle?”

“Behave.”

Jong Dae looks aghast at his uncle. “Why would I be the one to get into trouble?”

His Uncle says nothing more, turning to Yixing. “We will be having dinner in a couple of hours and would like for you to join us. Take this time to wash up and to rest.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Dinner comes and goes smoothly. After cleaning up and getting some rest Lord Zhang looks much more presentable. Jong Dae’s family can see the love they share for each other. When they had received the letter telling them about the mandate they had been scared. But that night and the days after reassured them that all will be well. Now everyone, on both the Celestial Vales and Archipelago of Fire, was able to rest easy and focus on getting them married.

That night, Yixing and Jong Dae, much to his uncle’s chagrin sleep in the same bed. And to Jong Dae’s chagrin, nothing else happens. Because according to Yixing he’s too tired.

“We have the rest of our lives,” he says. “Besides, there’s always tomorrow morning.”

*

On the other side of the world, the Mad Isles were burning. After the Goddess' plan was ruined during their last incarnation she retreated into the NetherRealm, where she strategized her next course of action. Prince Su Ho, Se Hun, and the others returned to Miseria to find it just as they had left it. His people were miserable and downtrodden. For decades, all was the same, until one night an intense fog came over the land and did not dissipate for days. Then, as soon as it came, it was gone.

Then the famine came. The crops that year had not yielded enough food and people were beginning to die of starvation. The rivers and lakes began to dry up. Fights would break out between people over any scrap of food or a bit of water they could find. Prince Su Ho, now middle-aged had done all he could to save his people. He opened the food reserves they had. He implemented rations so that they could make it through. It worked for a bit. But the people grew restless and dissent was brewing throughout the kingdom, even within the palace.

Hungry men with starving and crying families quickly became desperate. One night a rogue group of guards entered the Prince’s quarters and slit his throat. They killed his wife and child, along with everyone else in the palace who was loyal to him. Their deaths destabilized the kingdom even further and resulted in a bloody civil war breaking out with different factions fighting for power and dominance.

All the while the Goddess of the Mad Isles watched and did nothing. It was, after all, the price she had to pay to release and gain control of the Red Force. She damned them, herself, and the rest of the world to complete and utter destruction.

*

The Goddess of the Celestial Vales had taken charge of keeping an eye on her sister while the Goddess of the Archipelago of Fire had been tasked with reincarnating Jong Dae and Yixing. For several years after her plan was foiled their sister stayed quiet in her part of the NetherRealm. Then she managed to block them off completely. The Mad Isles were blocked as well. Almost immediately they could tell their sister was up to something. More time passed and then the thing that had blocked out their sister and the Mad Isles had gone; making it clear what had happened.

The Red Force is an ancient being, almost as old as the Tree of Life. However, the Red Force sought to destroy and from that destruction, it built its power. It achieved that by infecting its hosts and turning them evil. The more it infected the more powerful it would become. It is said that the gentlest soul can be corrupted by using the Red Force. Its destructive power was known throughout the Universe and no one, not even the most power-hungry were foolish enough to free it.

That was until their sister. With the block lifted the Goddesses could see the destructive power of it. The Mad Isles had been torn asunder. Bodies of children, men, and women, young and old littered the land. Left to decay and denied their proper send-off. Those that were still alive continued to fight each other for seemingly no reason other than to fight and kill each other.

Knowing what they were up against did nothing to assuage their worries. For they knew that they were not powerful enough to slow its spread, let alone stop it completely. Only one could. The Tree of Life.

They left their home and went to the Ether, the home of the Tree of Life and its Guardians. They were the only ones who could stop the Red Force. But they knew it would come at a price.

Upon their arrival in the Ether, they are Greeted by two Guardians. “Welcome to the Ether, my name is Zi Tao, the Tree of Life is waiting for you. Please follow Yi Fan, he will guide you through to the entrance.”

The Guardian Yi Fan bows to them and beckons them to follow him. The walk is done in darkness and silence. The only light coming from the torch that Yi Fan carried. Suddenly they stop. Yi Fan takes out a dagger and stabs the air, sliding his knife through the space in front of him. Light begins to leave the cut and an archway forms from it.

“The Tree of Life is on the other side. With the way things are, I suggest you not lollygag. You don’t have much time.”

They step through one at a time; what greets them on the other side is a place that puts the NetherRealm to shame. Bright, warm lights float through a garden filled with tall trees and thick shrubbery. All around them white orbs making their way to the Tree of Life that stands tall a few feet away.

The Tree of Life was as welcoming as it was imposing. It had hundreds of branches that each stretched wide and instead of leaves, its branches held bundles of what they now realize to be souls.

A soft voice begins to speak, “Every one of these souls is of my creation. I release them when it’s time for them to take their place in the Universe. Once they die, they return to me. Recently there have been many that have returned to me greatly damaged. I relieve them of their pain by taking on their memories. The souls from the Mad Isles alerted me to the fact that the Red Force had been freed.

“I assume that you two are here to ask what can be done to stop it. Or not. You already know don’t you, Goddess of the Celestial Vales.”

The Goddess of the Archipelago of Fire turns to her sister in stunned silence. “You know?”

She hangs her head in shame. “I came here with the hope that I wasn’t right.”

“The only way to keep your people safe and to stop the Red Force is to destroy your planet.”

“No! There has to be another way,” the Goddess of the Archipelago exclaims.

“There is not. Once the people have died my Guardians will surround the planet and destroy it. Once they have rid it of its host, they can then lock it away again.”

“Our sister-“

“Will perish. There is no saving her. Make your choice.”

“Save them,” the Goddess of the Celestial Vales says, voice filled with conviction.

“Sister!”

“We failed in keeping our sister from doing this. Our people should not have to bear the price for our failure. Save them. Give them the lives they deserved,” exclaimed the Goddess of the Celestial Vales.

“What say you, Goddess of the Archipelago?”

“What about us? Once our people die, what…what happens to us?”

“You are different from these souls. You are an extension of me, therefore, you will return to me.”

The two sisters share a look. They move closer and take each other's hands. They take one last look at each other and turn back to the Tree of Life resolutely. “Save them.”

“It is done.”

The Tree of Life wastes no time in bringing the Goddesses back into itself. A beam of light shoots out and passes over the Goddesses. While there may have been trepidation and fear, the moment the light touches them it is wiped away and leaves them feeling peaceful. Once it retreats to the Tree of Life the place where the Goddesses once stood is empty. No sign of them remains.

On the Archipelago of Fire and the Celestial Vales, its people begin to collapse, life leaving them before they even touch the ground.

Jong Dae and Yixing were having dinner before the wedding ceremony with their families. People were dancing and having fun. They were in the middle of the speech Jong Dae's father was giving when he collapsed; a bright ball of light leaving his body. Everyone ran to him only to find him dead.

Realizing what has happened the room breaks into chaos. People scream and cry, Jong Dae’s mother weeps inconsolably for her husband, pleading for him to come back. Her cries go unanswered and she too collapses. More begin a collapse, orbs of light leaving everyone. Yixing pulls Jong Dae close realizing that somehow this was their end.

“Wait for me,” Yixing asks, cupping Jong Dae’s cheek. “I will find you.”

Jong Dae nods, holding Yixing close.

The two collapsed to the floor within each other's arms. Outside the screams that grew loud and intense began to quiet. Animals too collapsed and died. The same in the Archipelago of Fire and on the Mad Isles.

Realizing too late what is going on The Goddess of the Mad Isles can feel her power quickly waning, making her weak. By the time she gathers her wits the Guardians have already surrounded her and are casting the spell to lock her away. She tries to use the Red Force to kill them, but to no avail. She, along with the Red Force, is defeated. The Guardians lock her and it away in a stretch of the Universe where there is no life.

When all the souls return to the Tree of Life it feels the anger, confusion, and sadness from them. It knows that it is not fair that they have lost their chances at life so abruptly, so it sends them to be reincarnated in a faraway place; a place called Earth.


	3. Third Life

When the Red Force realized what had happened, it took the souls of those few left on the Mad Isles and made a last stand against the Guardians. It was a hard-won fight, but the Guardians succeeded. With the Red Force imprisoned and the planet destroyed the Universe was safe once more.

Having taken the souls from their bodies so abruptly left them confused, angry and hurt. The Tree of Life took them into itself and gave them peace. When they were ready it sent them to a place called Earth so that they may live their lives again. This time completely uninterrupted to live their lives properly.

So, on September 21, 1991, a boy was born in Daejon, named him Kim Jong Dae. A thousand miles away and several days later, on October 7, 1991, a boy was born in Changsha, named him Zhang Yixing. They lived simple, happy lives with their friends and family. Overall, they had very good lives. But day after day a strange feeling began to grow within them.

When they were kids it had felt as if something was missing. They didn’t know what it was and couldn’t explain the feeling. They’d look around and think back in case they missed or lost anything, but they couldn’t pinpoint out what.

Jong Dae was more outspoken and would tell his parents that he’s missing something. But when they asked what he was missing he’d give them a blank face with wide eyes and say he didn’t know. He’d cry because he missed it so much and no one could help him find it.

Yixing, meanwhile, kept it in and wondered to himself just what it could be. He wondered if it was a toy. Or was it a friend that had left?

Then one night, when he’s ten, Yixing has a dream. He was in a room that was unfamiliar to him. But he felt happy to be there and he could tell that the people there were happy too. He turns to the person sitting next to him and feels them intertwine their hand with his. He looks at the stranger and he feels a burst of happiness blossom in his heart. The stranger kisses him on the cheek, and he feels a tingling sensation spread across his face.

Yixing has been kissed before. By his father and mother. His grandma and grandpa. He’s felt the love in their kiss, but he’s never felt anything like what he’s feeling in his dream. It’s overwhelming. Then he hears someone begin to speak. An older man is standing in front of the two of them with a cup raised in his hands. He tries to focus on what he’s saying when suddenly he collapses, and a bright light leaves his body.

The hand that was holding his let’s go abruptly and they run over to the man crumpled on the floor. Yixing feels himself running over too. But the man is dead already, he can tell. Soon people all around him start to fall more and more bright lights escape. He turns to the man that had been sitting next to him and sees that he is scared. There’s another feeling he doesn’t recognize, but it hurts him deeply. He cups the other person’s cheek and hears the words ‘I will find you. Wait for me.’ come out of his lips.

He wakes up with a feeling of urgency that he’s only ever felt when he needs to go to the bathroom or when he’s at an audition for a music show. Yixing can tell that this is so much more important than that though. It gives him a sense of purpose to now know what he has been missing.

Yixing wakes his parents to tell them that he needs to drop everything, his education, his singing and dancing lessons, to find this person. His parents see a change in their son and when they ask him what happened, he tells them about his dream. In such vivid detail that it worries them. His mother doesn’t know what to do and is beginning to feel anxious and he can see that, but it’s his father that talks some sense into him.

He says, “Yixing if this person is the one you have been missing then I’m sure you’ll find him. If it’s meant to happen it will happen, son. But you shouldn’t give up on your dreams. Keep working on them and finish school, so that when you finally meet that person, you’ll be the best man you can be. Okay?”

Yixing doesn’t like it, but he realizes that he’d be sad if he didn’t go to school, even if he only wanted to go just to see his friends. And he loves dancing and singing so he’d be sad if he had to stop doing that. He decides to put his faith in his father’s words that it will happen when it’s meant to happen.

Years pass by and he finishes school. All the while he continues to practice singing and dancing. One day he realizes that he wants to be a performer. To be able to move people with his singing and his dancing. In time he succeeded in winning one of the music shows that leads him to a life of stardom.

Yixing is happy with his life, but he still misses the person he saw in his dreams. He never dreams of them again, but the words “I will find you.” run through his head constantly. There’s a small part of him that hopes that the other person misses him too.

He does, but Jong Dae closed that side of him a long time ago. Now it’s merely a passing feeling that he shouldn’t concentrate on lest it becomes overwhelming. He’s grown into a handsome young man with the voice of an angel.

When he sings at school it’s boisterous, happy and on key to both show-off and to annoy his classmates. When it’s at a karaoke it's even louder and slightly off-key because he’s relaxed and is doing it to have fun. When he’s alone though it’s quiet and it carries the weight of his emotions in it.

Aside from his parents, he never told anyone else about the dream he had when he was ten. It scared him too much. And while the promise of the man finding him again had felt nice, no such person has come along. In the back of his head though, he knows that he waits for him.

Which is why he never returns anyone’s affections anymore. The few times he did, it felt like he was betraying the man from his dreams and felt guilty even though he didn’t exist.

Life went on for Jong Dae and he continued to wait, consciously or unconsciously. One day his music teacher, recognizing the immense talent he had, told him to audition for an entertainment company.

The teacher told him that he’d have a better shot at reaching his dream of being a singer that way than if he just studies music in school. He took his advice, went to Seoul and auditioned for several companies. A lot of them wanted him but he decided to go with SM Entertainment as it was one of the best and he felt he had the better chance there.

After entering SM Entertainment he realized that maybe he wasn’t the most talented person in the building. A fool’s folly, he thought. There was another boy, Baek Hyun who’s vocals, he thought, were much better than his. The two joined at the same time and considered themselves each other’s competition.

Baek Hyun ended up winning over Jong Dae and he debuted in SM’s next boy group, while Jong Dae stayed behind and trained some more. The group went on to do extremely well, something that Jong Dae couldn’t begrudge him for. Sometime after that, his chance finally came when he was chosen to sing the OST for a new drama SM was producing. It was his one shot to stardom; he was sure that if this did well his future would go well too.

The song was a hit. It climbed the charts along with the drama’s ratings. They had him do another, and that one became a hit. He did another, and that one became a hit too, even if the drama was a bust. So SM finally decided to debut him as a solo artist. His album did extremely well for a rookie who did OST’s. He did so many in fact, and so many did well, that he became known as the OST King of South Korea.

Several mini and full albums later Jong Dae was riding high on the waves of success. But he still had that lingering feeling of something missing. He had even gone out with some people that he thought he was interested in, but none of them could fill that hole.

_Ring._

_ Ring._

Jong Dae wakes up from another night of drinking away his sorrow to the odious ring of his phone. He reaches for it and answers as nicely as he can for it being so early in the morning.

“What!?”

“Don’t you “what” me, Kim Jong Dae! Did you sleep through your alarm? Did you even set one or did you forget that we have the meeting in Beijing for the OST collab you’ll be doing?”

He hadn’t forgotten, he’d just slept through it. “Hyung, I… I’ll be right down. I’ll just hop in the- “

“No shower! We’re running late as it is.”

“Urgh, fine.” Jong Dae gets up and changes into clean clothes and brushes his teeth. He looks in the mirror and his hair is going in a million directions and his skin looks like crap. ‘Whatever. I’ll just wear a hat and a mask.’

When he gets down and meets his manager, he’s met with a glare from his manager. The ride to the airport is quiet until his manager asks what is going on.

“Just some personal stuff, Hyung. Nothing to worry about,” Jong Dae replies.

“Jong Dae this is the fourth time this week I’ve had to wake you up after a night of binge drinking. The company can’t keep buying off the tabloids. This will get out one day.”

“I know, Hyung. I know. Just, give me some time. I can figure it out.”

“If you need help, Jong Dae, I’m here for you. A lot of us are here for you if need it.”

“I know, Hyung.”

His manager lets the conversation die, for which Jong Dae is thankful for.

As a teenager, he realized the feeling from his dream. It had been true love. But in the years following his epiphany, a far more sinister feeling joined it. Loneliness. The realization that he was unable to love anyone else, want anyone else, but the man in his dream had shaken him to his core.

He’d gone along with the feelings in high school, but once he reached his mid-twenties, he decided that he couldn’t, shouldn’t, wait for some figment of his imagination to come true. But no matter how many guys he dated or had sex with he couldn’t shake the feeling of longing and loneliness within him. If anything trying to find someone else only amplified those feelings.

He’d once held hope that he would find the mystery man. Or that the man would keep his promise and find him. At the beginning of his career, he even had a habit of looking out at the audience in case he was there. But his fandom was mainly female so that didn’t work out as he’d planned. And the few male fans he had proved to not him.

Jong Dae gave up looking after that.

They arrive at the airport and are instantly mobbed by fans. Normally Jong Dae would smile and wave, but after last night he was not feeling it. It also didn’t help that flashes were going off way too close to him. Once they make it through security and onto the plane, he feels himself relax a little bit. He’s happy at the thought of more sleep.

*

The reason why he had been so rudely awakened by his manager was that he had a press conference in China. It was a duet with an artist named Lay for a Korean-Chinese movie. One of many that had been made after the THAAD issue had been resolved. He’d never met him and has only seen his performances on YouTube. He hadn’t originally wanted to do this OST, but there had been something about his voice that made him agree to do it. And, yes, his body too. The man as too sexy for his own good.

His arrival in Beijing is met with fans waiting in the terminal to greet him. His manager is nice enough, though, to have him go through the VIP exit instead of the public one.

“The press conference will be in the same hotel that we’ll be staying at. The studio where you’ll be working with Lay is a couple of miles away at J Company. You’ll be shooting behind the scenes footage of the song making process and the video.”

“Isn’t the song written already,” Jong Dae asks.

“Lay has written the lyrics, but he’s left parts unfinished in case you have any suggestions. It was his idea to have you on as a collab too. You’ll meet him first thing. He wants to meet with you before you go into the press conference.”

“Why?”

“Didn’t say. He was adamant that he meets with you as soon as we arrive at the hotel. We are on a time crunch though so be sure to make it quick.”

Jong Dae couldn’t meet Yixing before the press conference.

A car accident makes them arrive late and leaves him and his team with a very small window of time to get ready. He jumps in and out of the shower and into the styling chair. He feels brushes and sponges’ swipe across his face spreading concealer and foundation to hide his exhaustion on his face. His hair is brushed and pulled up away from his face. Jong Dae is pushed and pulled into a white dress shirt, black slacks and shiny black shoes.

“Really,” he asks with a deadpanned expression.

“It’s safe. It’s presentable. You’d otherwise look like a hobo what with your oversize clothing.”

“It’s comfortable. It’s in fashion.”

“It’s lazy,” his manager retorts.

Jong Dae rolls his eyes and follows him out of the room. When they finally make it down to the conference room Lay is already there standing next to his manager. Their eyes meet causing a feeling of familiarity plant itself within Jong Dae. Lay walks over to him with an impish smile on his face and stops right in front of Jong Dae.

“I’m sorry.”

“You’re sorry. For what? I’m the one that was late.”

“You were. But I took too long in finding you.”

Jong Dae is confused over what Yixing is saying. “I’m sorry, but do I know you?”

“You did once. And you will again. I’ll make sure of that.” He kisses Jong Dae on the cheek.

*

The press conference was, to put it lightly, a complete disaster. Beginning with the fact that Jong Dae, upon realizing who Lay was, fainted. Fortunately, his manager was able to catch him before he hits the floor. Unfortunately, the press heard the commotion outside and several of them managed to get pictures of the incident out to the public instantly, causing his fans to go into a frenzy.

He’s out for a total of 10 minutes when suddenly, he jolts out of bed and begins to shout for Lay. Everyone tries to calm him down, but he’s having none of it.

“I need to talk to him! Where is he?”

A knock on the door causes everyone to freeze. Jong Dae, however, is up and on his feet running to open the door. Just a few inches away stands the very man that caused the commotion.

“You. Inside. Now," Jong Dae says pulling him into the room. "Everyone else out. Out!"

Everyone leaves quickly and easily. Everyone, except for his manager. “Hyung, please.”

“Is this him,” he asks, eyes staring intensely at Lay. “The one you told me about.”

“How do you-”

“You got drunk a couple of weeks ago at a bar in Gangnam. I had to go pick you up before you made an even bigger ass of yourself. You became chatty that night. I hope this guy is him and that all the drinking stops. I don’t want to have to leave my wife to pick up your drunk ass anymore,” he says chuckling. He gives them a small bow and leaves the room.

The two are aghast at his manager’s words. They stand side by side on the bed unmoving. Jong Dae feels a myriad of emotions run through his mind. Anger, joy, giddiness, embarrassment, and confusion. He’s beginning to feel lightheaded, so he sits down on the bed. Lay, on the other hand, was trying to figure out how to broach the subject. Ultimately, he figures that an apology would be best.

“I'm sorry.”

“For what,” Jong Dae asks.

“For telling you the way I did. All I could think about when I realized that it was you that I would be doing the duet with I was overjoyed. And I thought a romantic gesture couldn’t hurt after so long. I didn’t think about your feelings though. I just assumed that you would be happy too. I wanted to meet you beforehand, but you were late. Did it have to do with the drinking?”

“It did.”

“I guess it was naïve of me to think that you would be okay. That’s not to say that I’ve been fine, but I made it out okay.”

“I wasn’t. Okay, I mean. And although I had family, friends and a great career, the fact that you weren’t there bothered me. When I first had the dream, I didn’t know what it was about. I thought it was my imagination. But I would have it throughout my youth and even now and the feelings it brought out of me. It was scary.

“I loved you, without knowing you. And it bothered me, so I tried replacing you with other people. But it didn’t work. So I waited. I caused a lot of heartbreak not only for other people but for myself. I wanted to know love; I realized though, early on, that I shouldn’t play with people’s feelings. So I stayed alone.”

“But you weren’t happy,” Yixing whispers.

“No. I wasn’t,” Jong Dae says. “So, where do we go from here?”

Yixing turns to Jong Dae and takes his hand in his. It feels nice. No, it feels right. “I think we should give this a chance. We’ve hurt long enough without each other. From here on out we’ll have each other no matter what. So, what do you say? Want to have some dinner?”

“What about the press conference?”

“Pretty sure that got canned. I can’t have a press conference about our duet without us there. I told my management team to take care of it. They should be with your team now discussing a statement to put out.”

Jong Dae nods his head and reaches for his phone. “So. Dinner. What do you say to McDonald’s?”

“I’m down for that.” Yixing gives him a small smile that manages to show off his dimple. Jong Dae’s heart kicks up at the sight of his dimple. He’s not sure what the future holds for the two of them, but he can definitively say that his dimple will be the death of him.

“Too cute,” he mumbles out, looking away from Lay and back to his phone to do their order.

“Oh, and Jong Dae?”

“Hmm?”

“Call me Yixing.”

That afternoon they have their first dinner together. They eat in silence but once they’d finished they begin to talk about each other. Yixing asks most of the questions. He wants to know every bit of Jong Dae.

Jong Dae answers truthfully, sparing no detail. He’s okay with doing most of the talking. He has the rest of his life to get to know the ins and outs of Yixing anyways.


End file.
